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Course CJS 1307

Professor Steven Downing


Term Fall 2006 (full term)
Meetings Monday, Wednesday: 9:30-10:45am in SOM2.103

Professor’s Contact Information


Office Phone 972-883-4915
Office Location GR 2.510
Email Address SKD010200@utdallas.edu
Office Hours By appointment
Other Information For the quickest communication, use UTD or webct e-mail.

General Course Information

Course Description This course is designed as an introduction to the diverse discipline of


criminology. The course will explore the historical and contemporary state of
criminology, typologies of crime, and how criminological theories seek to
explain crime.

Learning Outcomes After completing CJS 1307, students will be able to:
1. Differentiate between various criminal behavior typologies.
2. Express a general knowledge of criminological theory.
3. Apply general theoretical knowledge to the typologies of crime.
4. Examine the major crime data sources.

Required Texts & Dabney, Dean A. Crime Types: A Text/ Reader


Materials Available at off campus books.

Assignments & Academic Calendar

Monday, August 21st: Introduction to course


Discussion groups assigned

Wednesday, August 23rd: Introduction to typologies of crime


Wadsworth Ch. 1

Monday, August 28th: Homicide and assault


Wadsworth Ch. 2; article 1

Wednesday, August 30th: Homicide and assault continued


Wadsworth Ch.2; article 2

Monday, September 4th: Labor Day: No Class

Wednesday, September 6th: Homicide and assault continued


Wadsworth Ch.2; articles 4

Monday, September 11th: Violent sex crimes


Wadsworth Ch. 3; article 6

Wednesday, September 13th: Violent sex crimes continued


Wadsworth Ch. 3; article 7
Monday, September 18th: Violent sex crimes continued
Wadsworth Ch. 3; article 8

Wednesday, September 20th: Robbery


Wadsworth Ch. 4; article 9

Monday, September 25th: Robbery continued


Wadsworth Ch. 4; article 10

Wednesday, September 27th: Exam #1

Monday, October 2nd: Introduction to property crime


Supplemental readings to be assigned

Wednesday, October 4th: Burglary


Wadsworth Ch. 5; article 11

Monday, October 9th: Burglary continued


Wadsworth Ch. 5; article 12

Wednesday, October 11th: Common property crime


Wadsworth Ch. 6; article 13

Monday, October 16th: Common property crime continued


Wadsworth Ch. 6; article 14

Wednesday, October 18th: Exam #2

Monday, October 23rd: Public order crime


Wadsworth Ch. 7; article 16

Wednesday, October 25th: Public order crime continued


Wadsworth Ch. 7; article 17

Monday, October 30th: Public order crime continued


Wadsworth Ch. 7; article 18

Wednesday, November 1st: Movie (to be determined)


No assigned readings

Monday, November 6th: Movie (to be determined)


No assigned readings

Wednesday, November 8th: Organized crime


Wadsworth Ch. 8; article 19

Monday, November 13th: Organized crime continued


Wadsworth Ch. 8; article 20

Wednesday, November 15th: Patterns and prospects


Wadsworth Ch. 9

Monday, November 20th: Typologies and criminological theory


Supplemental readings to be assigned
Wednesday, November 22nd: Exam review and course evaluations
No assigned readings

Monday, November 27th: Exam #3

Course Policies
Final grades will be comprised of scores from three exams and credit given for
discussion participation; No individual extra credit will be given for any reason, and
late work will be penalized 10 points per day, with no exceptions. Official proof of
excuses for missing assigned discussion days will be required and any students’
inquiries with regard to extra credit and/or concessions of course policies will be
referred to the syllabus.

Grading:
Exam 1: 30 points
Exam 2: 30 points
Exam 3: 30 points
Class Discussion: 10 points
Total: 100 points
Exams:
Each exam will consist of 30 multiple choice questions. These questions
will be derived from the texts, relevant in-class discussions, and other sources of
Grading (credit)
information provided the students either through lecture or supplemental material
Criteria
throughout the course of the semester.

Class Discussion:
On the first day of class, discussion groups will be formed. Each group
member will be assigned a class day on which they will be responsible for the
following:
1) Bringing at least 1 current event illustration of justice principles in
practice, or being challenged.
2) Stimulate discussion in the class, and relate the aforementioned
articles to the assigned readings for that class period.
3) Engaging fellow students in constructive debate over the issues of
justice that are raised in the text and current event.
Groups will not be required to turn in written materials, however, groups will be
evaluated as a whole based on the 3 criteria discussed above. More information about
this part of the class will be discussed on the first day.

Extra Credit No individual extra credit will be given for any reason.
Late Work Late work will be penalized 10 points per day, with no exceptions.
Class attendance is strongly encouraged. Failing to attend class will likely have an
Class Attendance
adverse impact on the likelihood of achieving overall success in the course.
I expect that you will all respect the diverse opinions that your fellow students bring
to a discussion. While passionate and constructive debate will be permitted and
encouraged, name-calling, spitting, hissing, and other verbal or non-verbal assaults
Classroom
will not be tolerated. If cell-phone interruptions become a problem, I reserve the
Citizenship
right to institute a policy whereby for each interruption, the owner of the cell-phone
may be penalized one entire point from their final grade.

Student Conduct
and Discipline The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and
regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the
responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable
about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General
information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A
to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the


procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and
described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas
System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these
rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students,
where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the
Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject
to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place
on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic
honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute
integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student
demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions
related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission
Academic as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic
Integrity dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or
falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject
to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and
from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s
policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the
resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over
90% effective.

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of


communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the
same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each
individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email
correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty
Email Use and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD
student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in
the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted
information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used
in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information
Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas
mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-
Class level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to
handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or
withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not
receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you
are enrolled.

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other


fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make
a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or
committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”).
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
Student evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be
Grievance submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean.
Procedures If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the
student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the
Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene
an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final.
The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the
Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting
the rules and regulations.

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work
unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has
Incomplete
been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from
Grades
the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the
course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline,
the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational


opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located
in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30
a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30
a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:


The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
Disability (972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
Services
Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable
adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For
example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders
or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an
assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an
oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students
with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The
college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-
taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to
faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations.
Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class
or during office hours.

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required
activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose
places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code,
Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as


possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student,
so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a
reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a
Religious Holy maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any
Days missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails
to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a
failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the
purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about
whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed
assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling
from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief
executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC
51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.
Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law
Off-Campus and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities.
Instruction and Information regarding these rules and regulations may be found at
Course Activities http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm.
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

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